Just Your Average Concerned Stalker
by sterolineotpforever
Summary: Stefan has taken to stalking Caroline to protect her. Sometimes with her knowledge, and sometimes without.


**NO 11 AS REQUESTED BY ANONYMOUS -** _Anonymous said: Can u write a Drabble where Stefan follows Caroline everywhere so lily doesn't hurt her and sometimes he does it secretly. One time Bonnie sees him hiding when her and Caroline are walking thanks._

 **Just Your Average Concerned Stalker**

Stefan's greatest fear was losing Caroline before he even had the chance to have her, to lose their shot at a beautiful perfect relationship, to lose _her_ forever. He didn't know if he could survive that, somehow having to live his life without her after only having a taste of what being with her and loving her could be like, it would kill him to lose her. And now with his mother promising him true devastation – just as once upon a time Damon promised him an eternity of misery – he was truly terrified that Lily would realize just who he couldn't live without. Either Damon or Caroline. He knew Damon could take care of himself so he didn't have to worry, but Caroline, she lived alone in her childhood home, or in the dorm with Bonnie, and she was still a relatively new vampire, especially when compared to Lily's over hundred and fifty years of existence.

Stefan wasn't going to take the chance that Lily wouldn't hurt Caroline, especially as she knew that he had turned his humanity off for Caroline, so his mother already knew just how much he cared about her. So he had taken to following her everywhere, making sure she was never alone and that at least one of them was around to protect her.

He didn't care if that made him look like a stalker when he was supposed to be waiting patiently for her, as long as Caroline was alive and breathing and beautiful, he would continue to protect her until his last breath, because he loved her and he was still waiting for her. He would wait however long it takes for her to be ready for him, be it months or years, but in the meantime he had a psychopathic ripper mother hell bent on destroying his life (sound familiar), and while hoping deep inside that Lily would come around just as he and Damon eventually found their way back to loving each other instead of hating one another, he wouldn't bet Caroline's life on the fact that she wouldn't hurt her sons because his family had the painful past of killing each other – Giuseppe killed him and Damon, Stefan then killed him, Damon killed Zach's pregnant girlfriend and then later Zach – so he was extra cautious.

Caroline meant too much to him to ever lose her.

* * *

Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie and Damon were currently in the boarding house, drinking as they always seemed to be doing lately, and just taking some quiet time for themselves to escape the craziness that was their lives.

"I'm heading home now." Caroline announced, standing up from the chair she was seated in and walked over to retrieve her coat.

"I'll take you." Stefan immediately stood and made his way over to Caroline, eager to spend any alone time with her that he could, and just to make sure she got home safe.

Caroline was about to protest but seeing the hopeful smile on Stefan's face she couldn't help but smile back, "Okay."

Stefan's grin brightened and his eyes shone, he stuck his hands into his pockets to prevent them from reaching for her hand, as she wasn't ready yet. He followed her out, and walked to her car and got in the passenger seat.

They chatted easily on the way to Caroline's, even though they were both on the cusp of something that could potentially be great, they were still best friends, and the most important thing was that they never lose their friendship.

Parking outside her house Caroline turned to Stefan, "Thanks for coming home with me." She grinned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "Even though now you have to walk home, alone."

Stefan ducked his head and blushed, "I'll be okay. I was more worried about you being safe, Caroline." He flicked his eyes up to look into those big blue eyes and couldn't help but swallow at the feelings threatening to overwhelm him, "My mom, uh, Lily is still out there and I just know that she would come after you to get to me."

Caroline sighed, took a chance and palmed his cheek with her hand, "I don't want you to put your life on hold to look after me."

Stefan shook his head, his gaze shining with fear, "What life would I have if I lost you?"

Caroline shook her head, tears in her eyes, "You can't say things like that, Stefan." She stroked her thumb against his cheek, "You would survive without me, you survived without Damon."

"Was that what you call living? Starting fights in bars just to feel physical pain so for that one moment I wouldn't feel the aching loss of Damon. Leaving behind all my friends and lying to them that I was still looking for a way to bring them back after I gave up." Stefan let a tear slip down his cheek, "Ignoring you, hurting you, because you would be the one person I could just collapse into, and you would soothe away my sorrow and make me grieve."

Caroline caught the tear with her thumb, and rubbed it into his skin, "You can't protect me all the time, Stefan."

"I can try." Stefan joked, trying to alleviate some of the tension between them, not wanting to start a fight on one of the few peaceful days they've had in far too long.

Caroline knew that Stefan was deflecting but she wouldn't call him out tonight. She just needed one stress free day, and then she would fall headlong into the crazy that was Mystic Falls. She leant over and placed a kiss on his cheek, trying to ignore his racing heart – _am I making you nervous?_ \- or her own shaky breath, "See you later, Stefan."

"See you later, Caroline." Stefan whispered back, breathless at her closeness to him, her touch and scent driving his senses wild.

They both left the car, Stefan watching Caroline until she was inside with the door locked and bolted, only then did he make his way back to his home.

* * *

Today was one of those stalker days, Stefan following Caroline without her knowledge. He was following Caroline and Bonnie as they went for a late night walk – seriously? In Mystic Falls? His girl was just looking for trouble – their postures relaxed and their guards were most definitely not up. He would scold them but that would require revealing himself. This was why he couldn't leave Caroline unprotected, their were heretics, and his mother, and god knows what else lurking in the night, and they couldn't be more alert than they appeared to be?

He kept his distance, far enough away so that they wouldn't see him, and close enough that if someone attempted anything he would be there in seconds and prepared to rip them apart. He didn't listen to their conversations; no matter how much he was dying to know if she talked about him, he would allow her her privacy.

* * *

Bonnie appeared to be casually walking without a care in the world, but she was actually on high alert as she sensed that someone had been following them for quite some time. She was preparing herself for an attack, her magic ready in her trembling hands, ready to burn anything that would try to hurt her or Caroline.

She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze searching within the darkened streets, and she almost sagged with relief once she spotted Stefan's inconspicuous head within the shadows. _You have it so bad,_ she chuckled as she turned back to Caroline wondering whether to tell her about their unexpected companion.

Caroline turned to Bonnie, raising her eyebrows at the amusement on her face, "What's so funny?"

"We seem to have a shadow." Bonnie grinned at the way Caroline immediately looked behind them and let out an annoyed groan.

"Seriously!" Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, "I thought I felt his eyes on me, I just thought that I was imagining it."

Bonnie bumped her shoulder with Caroline, "It's cute. You have a stalker."

Caroline laughed, "Bonnie!" It so wasn't funny, Stefan was so worried about her safety that he had now become her personal shadow, and while it brought warmth to her chest that he cared so much for her, the other part of her wanted him to live his own life while he waiting for her to be ready.

Bonnie peered into the darkness again and commented, "I'm just surprised that Damon isn't with him."

Caroline outright laughed, "You know he probably is around here somewhere."

"You're probably right." Bonnie snorted out a laugh, before she asked, "So what should we do? Let him know we know he's there or just continue on letting him think he's got away with his sneaky stalker routine?"

"I think Batman and Robin are content to stalk us." Caroline grinned, looping her arm through Bonnie's as they continued strolling through their town.

* * *

Damon who was watching from his usual perch on the clock tower couldn't help but smirk at Caroline's comment. He looked down and laughed as he saw Stefan's very poor attempt at hiding himself from the girls who actually knew he was there. He wasn't his brother, he did not care about privacy and he would eavesdrop to his hearts content.

He raised his bottle of bourbon to his lips and took a drink. He laughed again, hands on his hips in a superhero pose and declared, "I am so totally Batman."

* * *

Later on when the girls were safely tucked away at Caroline's, Stefan finally made his way back home. His duty was done for the night, not that he would complain at looking after Caroline more closely, say from the spot right beside in her bed, holding her tight all night. He smiled dreamily, one day that would become a reality instead of just one of the many fantasies he had conjured up while waiting for her.

He walked inside the boarding house, hung up his jacket, and made his way toward the parlour. Damon was sat on one of the chairs with a bottle of bourbon beside him, a typical sight these days, though anything that got his brother through the days that wasn't massacring innocent people – though that was still a possibility – was okay by Stefan. He poured his own glass and greeted his brother, "Hey."

"Hey." Damon smirked at his brother, amusement in his eyes, Caroline's comment still making him laugh.

"I'm off to bed." Stefan smiled at his brother before turning to walk up the stairs to sleep.

"See you tomorrow, Robin!" Damon called out, a full fledged grin on his face that only got wider at Stefan's confused expression.

"Huh?!" Stefan was too tired to interpret what his brother meant, knowing him it was probably another nickname to get under his skin. Though the huge genuine smile on his brothers face was enough to lift his spirits for the moment, not caring if Damon's momentary happiness was at his own expense or not. His smile was a beautiful and rare sight.

"Goodnight, Damon." Stefan smiled genuinely back before finally heading to his room, then on to his bed and finally to his dreams of Caroline.

Damon waited until he heard Stefan settle into bed before grabbing the blanket off the chair and heading to the roof. He was more than a little drunk.

Damon stood on the roof, his hands on his hips, back straight, blanket tied around his neck flapping in the wind. He smirked into the unseeing dark, and growled into the night sky, "I'm Batman!"

THE END

AN – I hope you all liked it. Is that not the funniest image ever? Drunken Damon, cape around his neck, declaring that he's Batman? Totally my first thoughts at the end of S7 when I saw him on the clock tower was 1) he's doing a Batman routine, and then, 2) he's totally Doc Emmet Brown*, all that was missing was the cable and a "Great Scotts!" lol

*Character from 'Back To The Future' for anyone who hasn't seen it.


End file.
